Demountable wall and mounting fixture therefor



April 20, 1965 L. E. TASSELL 3,178,775

DEMOUNTABLE WALL AND MOUNTING FIXTURE THEREFOR Filed NOV. 14, 1962 INVENTOR.

Les/m 5 755% r BY Z ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,178,775 DEMOUNTABLE WALL AND MOUNTENG FIXTURE THEREFOR Leslie E. Tassel], Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to Tassell Hardware Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. Filed Nov. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 237,680 3 Claims. (Cl. 204) This invention relates to improvements in demountable wall and mounting fixture therefor. The principal objects of this invention are:

First to provide a wall assembly including a vertically slotted post and a wall panel with a mounting clip that is adjustably secured within the slot in the post and which defines a cammed slot to receive the head of a shouldered screw projecting from the edge of a wall panel to support the panel with the shoulder on the screw counterbored in the panel and fixing the edge of the panel with compressed relation to the surface of the post.

Second, to provide a mounting clip that is easily formed as a simple stamping with a longitudinally recessed and transversely stepped or flange cross section to fit in laterally retained and alined relation within a stepped slot and having clamping nut retaining ears struck from one portion of the recessed part of the stamping and with one end of the recessed portion slotted and cammed longitudinally to cammingly receive and support a headed supporting screw projecting from a part to be supported from the clip.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims. The drawings, of which there is one sheet, illustrate a highly practical form of the wall assembly and the supporting clip thereof.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the wall assembly supported between a floor and ceiling, the floor and ceiling being illustrated conventionally in cross section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear or inside elevational view of the supporting clip of the wall assembly.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG. 2 with the parts in partially assembled condition.

The wall unit assembly and supporting clip thereof is particularly adaptable, but not limited, to use with dernountable posts 1 having base elements 2 that rest on a floor 3 and extensible top fixtures 4 that press yieldably and adjustably against a ceiling 5 to support the posts in selectively adjustable positions in a room. The wall unit or assembly thus becomes an easily installed parti tion. The posts 1 are extruded metal elements having vertical slots 6 in their side walls that are outwardly stepped or shouldered as at 7 along the edges of the slots. r

Crossing interior ribs 8 connect the corners of the side walls of the posts. Posts of this type are old and form no part of the invention except as the stepped slots coact with the clip and panel of the assembly.

The wall panel 10 has screws 11 projecting from its side edges and engaged with clips 12 of the invention to releasably support the panel. As appears more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4, the screws 11 have radially enlarged shoulders or collars 13 spaced on the shanks of the screws from the heads 14. The screws are driven into the edges of the panels, which may be plywood, until the shoulders are countersunk flush with the edges of the panels.

The clip 12 is a sheet metal stamping with an elongated, outwardly recessed or channeled body 15 with laterally turned flanges 16 on the side edges of the body. The width and depth of the body 15 is sized to fit in nestice ing and aligning relation in the slot 6 with the flanges 16 fitting in nesting relation within the stepped portion 7 of the side wall of the post. Toward its lower end, the recessed body 15 of the clip is apertured and inwardly countersunk as at 17 to receive the head of a clamp screw 18. Above and below the aperture 17, the body of the clip has rearwardly or inwardly inclined stop ears 19 struck therefrom. The stop ears are offset slightly in a clockwise relation to the center of the clip in FIG. 3 and coact with an elongated rectangular nut 29 to stop or limit rotation of the nut so that the screw can be rotated from the front or outside of the clip and post to clamp the nut in overlapping relation to the insides of the side walls 9 without having access to the nut. The nut thus securely clamps the clip to the wall of the post and the position of the clip can be easily fixed to correspond to the desired final position of a screw 11 on the panel.

The upper end of the body 15 is upwardly and outwardly inclined or cammed as at 21 and slotted as at 22. This permits the shank of the screw 11 to enter into the slot with the head 14 behind the body of the clip as shown in FIG. 4. As the screw, and the wall panel 10 to which it is attached are lowered, the screw and the panel are cammed laterally toward the side wall of the post. This draws the edge of the panel into tight, flush engagement with the side of the post.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A demountable wall panel assembly comprising a panel having screws driven into one edge thereof and projecting therefrom,

shoulders on said screws countersunk flush with the edge of said panel,

heads on said screws spaced from said shoulders,

21 supporting post having a vertically slotted wall with an outwardly facing shoulder along each side of the slot,

vertically elongated holding clips each having an outwardly facing recessed body received in said slot opposite said screws,

laterally turned flanges on the edges of said clips received in said shoulders along the sides of said slot and slidable and clampable in infinite positions therealong,

inclined stop ears struck rearwardly on opposite sides of a screw hole formed in the lower portion of said clips and oppositely laterally clockwise offset from the center line of said clips viewed from the rear side,

screws passed rearwardly through the screw holes of said clips with elongated rectangular nuts narrower than said slot in said post on the inner ends of the screws clamped against the inner sides of said walls,

and upwardly and outwardly inclined upper portions on said recessed body above said ears of said clips merging with said laterally turned flanges and defining upright cam slots receiving the shanks of said screws with said heads behind the edges of said slots, opposite sides of said nuts near opposite ends thereof being engageable with said ears in a rotatation limiting relation with the nuts when the nuts are in upright unlocked position with said nuts being rotated to engage the opposite sides of the ears in slot bridging position upon tightening rotation of said screws.

2. A demountable wall panel assembly comprising a panel having screws driven into one edge thereof and projecting therefrom,

shoulders on said screws countersunk into the edge of said panel,

heads on said screws spaced from said shoulders,

a'supporting post having a wall, said wall being ver- :projecting therefrom,

along each side of they slot,

, vertically elongated holding clips each having an out-f wardly facing recessed body received in said slot' opposite said screws, p 1 laterally turned flanges on the edges of said clips received in saidshoulders in said slot,

inclined stop ears struck rearwardly on' opposite sides of ascrew hole formed in the lower portion of said clips,

' screws passed rearwardly through'the screw holes of said clips with elongated nuts narrowerthan said ,slots on the inner ends of the screws clamped against the inner sides of said walls"and .withthe sides ofthe said screws with said headsbehind the" edges of said slots.- 6 r 3. A demountable wall panel assembly comprising a' panel vhaving screws driven into one edge thereof and heads on said screws spaced from" said panel,

a supporting post having a wall, "said wall being v61 tically slotted with an outwardly facing shoulder,

along each sideof the slot, f vertically elongate dholding 'clipseach having an out .Wardly facing recessed body received in said' slot opposite said screws, 1

nutsnear the endsthereof laterally; and 'non-rota- ;1

laterally turned fiangeson the' edges of said clipsrereceived in said shoulders in said slot, inclined stop ears, struck'rearwardly on opposite sides of'a screw hole formed in the lower portion of said 1 1 clips, screws passed rearwardly through the screw holes of said clipslwith elongated nuts narrower than said slots on the inner ends of thescrews clamped against the inner sides of said walls, and upwardlyand outwardlyinclined upper portions on said recessed body above said ears of said clips "defining upright cam slotsfreceiving the shanks of said screws with said heads behind the edges of said cam slots, opposite sides of said nuts near opposite ends there'of being engageable with said ears in a rotation limiting relation with the nuts when the nuts are in upri'gli tfunlocked position with said nuts being rotated to en'gage the opposite sides of the ears in slot bridging'pos'itionupon tightening rotation of said screws. f

Rete'rences Citedlby the Examiner o UNITED STATES PATENTS JACOB L NACKENOFFfPz-iniary Examiner, V 

3. A DEMOUNTABLE WALL PANEL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PANEL HAVING SCREWS DRIVEN INTO ONE EDGE THEREOF AND PROJECTING THEREFROM, HEADS ON SAID SCREWS SPACED FROM SAID PANELS, A SUPPORTING POST HAVING A WALL, SAID WALL BEING VERTICALLY SLOTTED WITH AN OUTWARDLY FACING SHOULDER ALONG EACH SIDE OF THE SLOT, VERTICALLY ELONGATED HOLDING CLIPS EACH HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FACING RECESSED BODY RECEIVED IN SAID SLOT OPPOSITE SAID SCREWS, LATERALLY TURNED FLANGES ON THE EDGES OF SAID CLIPS RERECEIVED IN SAID SHOULDERS IN SAID SLOT, INCLINED STOP EARS STRUCK REARWARDLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A SCREW HOLE FORMED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CLIPS, SCREWS PASSED REARWARDLY THROUGH THE SCREW HOLES OF SAID CLIPS WITH ELONGATED NUTS NARROWER THAN SAID SLOTS ON THE INNER ENDS OF THE SCREWS CLAMPED AGAINST THE INNER SIDES OF SAID WALLS, AND UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED UPPER PORTIONS ON SAID RECESSED BODY ABOVE SAID EARS OF SAID CLIPS DEFINING UPRIGHT CAM SLOTS RECEIVING THE SHANKS OF SAID SCREWS WITH SAID HEADS BEHIND THE EDGES OF SAID CAM SLOTS, OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID NUTS NEAR OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID EARS IN A ROTATION LIMITING RELATION WITH THE NUTS WHEN THE NUTS ARE IN UPRIGHT UNLOCKED POSITION WITH SAID NUTS BEING ROTATED TO ENGAGE THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE EARS IN SLOT BRIDGING POSITION UPON TIGHTENING ROTATION OF SAID SCREWS. 